Chapter 14: The Final Stand
Major Thomas Vance pulled open the creaky wooden doors of the root cellar set into the cabin floor, extending a strong hand to help Chloe down into the dark, damp earthen tunnel below. "Come on, kid. Your father knows what he's doing. We have to keep moving."
Chloe cast one last, tear-filled look back up at her father, her heart breaking as she saw the resolute, unwavering stance of the soldier who had protected her through every storm of her life. "I love you, Dad," she whispered.
"I love you too, sweetheart. Go," Arthur replied, lowering the cellar doors over their heads and sliding the heavy iron bolt into place just as the front window of the cabin shattered inward with a deafening crash.
Glass rained across the wooden floorboards as two federal tactical agents vaulted through the broken window frame, their weapons raised and trained squarely on Arthur’s chest.
"Drop the weapon, Arthur!" the lead agent commanded, his finger trembling slightly on the trigger of his carbine. "It’s over!"
Arthur stood tall in the center of the room, his military dress uniform still bearing the medals and ribbons of a decorated veteran. He did not drop his pistol; instead, he lowered the barrel toward the floor, staring directly into the eyes of the young man who commanded the tactical squad.
"The data you're looking for doesn't exist anymore," Arthur said calmly, his voice steady and devoid of fear. "You can tear this cabin apart brick by brick, and you won't find a single byte."
The lead agent lowered his weapon slightly, his expression hardening with disbelief and frustration. "Where is the girl? Where is the package?"
"She's gone," Arthur replied simply. "And she's safe. You lost."
Before the agent could bark an order to search the premises, three more federal operatives swarmed through the front door, sweeping the room with tactical precision. They tore open the cabinets, kicked over the wood stove, and checked the corners, quickly realizing the cabin was empty save for the aging soldier standing defiantly in the center of the room.
"Clear!" one operative shouted from the back corner, lifting the wooden trapdoor of the root cellar and shining a tactical flashlight down into the empty earthen tunnel. "They went through the sub-floor. The trail leads toward the ravine!"
May you like
"After them!" the lead agent yelled, turning his men toward the exit.
Arthur raised his service pistol just enough to block their path. "You're not following them today."
